The royal family mark the second anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death
The King’s health is “heading in a very positive trajectory”, royal sources have said, as he marks the second anniversary of his accession to the throne.
The monarch, 75, attended a church service near Balmoral on Sunday to commemorate the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death, which also marks the start of his reign.
Charles’ second year as sovereign has been filled with health concerns, having been diagnosed with an unknown form of cancer earlier this year. He is said to be recovering well and is preparing for a his first major overseas trip to Australia and Samoa in the autumn.
“Health has to remain the number one priority, albeit heading in a very positive trajectory,” the royal source said.
It comes as his daughter-in-law the Princess of Wales, who was also diagnosed with cancer this year, is reportedly hoping to make a return to public life in the coming months.
Kate, 42, has made two official public appearances since her diagnosis – attending Trooping the Colour in June and presenting the Wimbledon men’s trophy in July.
According to The Times, it is understood she is hoping to join the royal family at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday and host her Christmas carol concert.
The King’s ‘rollercoaster year’ filled with family health challenges
The King faced a “rollercoaster” second year as sovereign, with the Queen proving herself the “star of the show” thanks to her support for her husband and the monarchy, a royal expert has said.
Sunday was the second anniversary of Charles’s accession to the throne and the loss of his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The year 2024 looked set to offer a chance for the King and the royal family to settle in amid the aftermath the late Queen’s death and the King’s accession in 2022 and the hectic demands of the coronation in 2023.
But the health blows faced by Charles and the Princess of Wales torpedoed any plans for a run-of-the-mill year.
Joe Little, of Majesty magazine, said: “Nobody saw those things coming and they had a profound impact. It has been a rollercoaster year for the King, not just for him, but for his family, and it will have been of great concern to the Queen.
“Nonetheless he has been remarkably active for someone with his condition and given his age.
“He hasn’t really let the treatment hold him back, but I’m sure he hasn’t done anything near as much as he would have liked to have done.”
Kate ‘hoping for autumn comeback’
The Princess of Wales is hoping to join the royal family at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday and host her Christmas carol concert, according to reports.
Kate, who has undergone months of chemotherapy treatment for cancer, is “potentially” set to join the King on November 10 at the national service in Whitehall in honour of those who died in conflict, The Sunday Times said.
Planning is also said to be under way for her annual televised Together At Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey in December, if she continues to have “more ‘good days’”, the newspaper revealed.
Kate, 42, has made two official public appearances since her diagnosis – attending Trooping the Colour in June and presenting the Wimbledon men’s trophy in July.
No date has been set for her return to public life, but the princess is understood to be holding more regular meetings as she works from home, having enjoyed the summer with the Prince of Wales and their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
King’s health ‘heading in positive trajectory’
The King’s health is “heading in a very positive trajectory”, royal sources have said, as he marks the second anniversary of his accession to the throne.
Charles’, second year as sovereign has been filled with health concerns, having been diagnosed with cancer and dealing with ongoing treatment alongside his royal duties.
But a source said Charles had coped with the past year with a “determination to be as public as he was able” to reassure the nation about how much he could still do.
The King spent around three months away from public-facing duties and returned in April with a visit to a cancer centre in London.
He had a high profile run of engagements through the next few months with D-Day 80th anniversary commemorations in Portsmouth and Normandy, Trooping the Colour, the incoming Japanese state visit, a short trip to Jersey and Guernsey, the appointment of a new Prime Minister after Labour’s landslide general election, and the State Opening of Parliament.
The King and Queen are gearing up for an important tour to Australia and Samoa in the autumn – their first major overseas trip since news of Charles’s cancer was announced.
“Health has to remain the number one priority, albeit heading in a very positive trajectory,” the source said.